


Star Light, Star Bright

by altoinkblots



Series: Stardust [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Asexual Male Character, Gen, Introspection, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:48:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24590317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altoinkblots/pseuds/altoinkblots
Summary: Edward’s heart ached. It had been a little over two months since he had fallen, and it still hurt to look at the stars. But he couldn’t go his entire life avoiding them; they were a part of him, and unless he was going to start sleeping at night they were unavoidable. Besides, Alphonse was still up there. Even if it hurt to look at the stars, he could remind himself that he was looking at his brother.During a quiet moment by himself, Edward thinks over how his life has changed and what that means for him.
Series: Stardust [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777492
Comments: 17
Kudos: 29
Collections: Asexual and Aromantic Ed





	Star Light, Star Bright

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prolouge of sorts to a fic that I am _actively working on_ , so that's why I'm not updating other things. This takes place three years before the main plot, and it's exactly what it says on the tin. 
> 
> This is _also _for aro/ace Ed week day 1: questioning. Link to the aro/ace Elric brothers tumblr is[here](https://ace-aro-elrics-week.tumblr.com); pretty much it's a celebration of headcanons that Ed and Al are on the aro/ace spectrums. Enjoy!__

Edward’s feet took him outside the castle walls. He should have been exhausted, just getting off his shift and all. His feet did hurt from standing in one spot for three hours with a full set of armor on, but it was almost nighttime, and he hadn’t had a moment to himself in the weeks since arriving at Camelot.

He ducked his head to avoid hitting branches, the setting sun filtering through the leaves and almost blinding him. That was one thing he hadn’t expected about falling; he knew that the sun existed and that it shone down during the day, but his first time seeing it in person had been a weird experience. It was lovely, but it didn’t hold a candle to the night sky with the moon and stars.

Edward’s heart ached. It had been a little over two months since he had fallen, and it still hurt to look at the stars. But he couldn’t go his entire life avoiding them; they were a part of him, and unless he was going to start sleeping at night they were unavoidable. Besides, Alphonse was still up there. Even if it hurt to look at the stars, he could remind himself that he was looking at his brother.

They weren’t out yet, but they would be soon. Edward turned up a hill, his legs burning the more he climbed. He reached the top as the last rays of sunlight crested over Camelot before disappearing beyond the horizon. Behind him, the castle—which was also named Camelot, which didn’t make any sense to him—lit up with torches and candles. The small villages that he could see also lit up like stars that had fallen to Faerie. Just like him.

Slowly, the stars poked through the night sky. Edward’s eye caught on an empty spot where he used to be, and he almost turned back. The loneliness settled in him, eating him alive.

He sat on the cool grass and took his shoes and stockings off to feel the thin blades of grass against his bare feet. He let his thoughts swirl freely in his mind as they mirrored the breeze around him.

One thought kept coming back, snippets of a conversation he had heard a few days ago. Him and a couple of other guards had been in the break room in between shifts. Edward had been quietly eating his food; he didn’t want to draw attention to himself, but it had been him and two other people in the room and they had all been sitting at the table together. Edward remembered them talking about some of the women that lived in the castle, from the milkmaids to the spinners and how attractive they were. Edward knew of some of the women they were talking about, had even spoken to a couple of them once. They had been nice, but the other guards kept going on about which features were more attractive. Edward didn’t get why physical characteristics were so important, but he had stayed quiet.

 _Don’t draw attention_. That was his main rule. Attention got you killed. It’s how he had stayed alive this long.

Edward held out his hand and watched as blue sparks danced between his fingers. He hadn’t used any of his magic in weeks and he could feel that he was out of practice. Sparks were easy, and they wouldn’t tire him out, unlike granting wishes.

Why did people even care about the shape of someone’s nose or the color of their hair? It seemed that people really only cared about what was on the outside, at least at first, basing their impressions on a split-second visual cue? Stars understood that there was a depth to people that went beyond the reaches of the universe, that there was complexity behind layers of an individual.

Maybe he only thought this was because he was a star. He wasn’t raised in a place that prioritized any of that. He had known stars who noticed physical traits of others, his mother used to say that Hohenheim was the most beautiful man she had ever met, but Edward didn’t see the point. Maybe hurtling from the sky and falling to Faerie screwed him over, maybe the giant sapphire that had hit him in the head did some damage.

Or, maybe, he had always been this way.

Alphonse’s star twinkled in the sky. Edward could almost imagine what he would say in this moment. There were a thousand things he wanted to say to his brother, a thousand missed opportunities.

_I miss you. I love you. I want to go home._

Edward brought his knees to his chest, rested his forehead on them, and began to cry.

He was different. That was a given. All he had to do was fade into the background, not draw attention to himself. Survive. That was all he could do. At least Camelot gave him some protection, although he didn’t know how long it would last for. Live, and hope that the loneliness wouldn’t eat him alive.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment/kudos if you liked it, and we'll see how quickly I get the actual fic this is paired to out there... fingers crossed


End file.
